The seen is the seer

Chandran, Nanda (NBC) Nanda.Chandran at NBC.COM
Fri Mar 13 16:23:49 CST 1998


Miguel writes :
>In order words, you cannot see but what is in your consciousness.
Maybe. But what about somebody who's blind from birth? What's it they
see? They've never seen a building - so how do they imagine a building?
We may see things in a dream - but these images are basically related to
what we've observed in the waking state. Can any amount of logic and
reasoning contradict direct experience? The machine on which I'm typing
right now is right in front of me and I can reach out and feel it. Can
this experience be refuted?

>So you never see anything that is not in your Consciousness.
So how's it when I see somebody whom I've never seen before? If I've not
seen the person before how can the image be in my conciousness? It's
only when I first see the person and the image is recorded. But without
first seeing, how can we conjure an image?

>Scientists say that insects, for example, have a very different image
of the >world.
I'm reminded of a story where an executioner told the condemned that
death inside the gas chamber would be painless. The condemned asked,
"How would you know?"!

>Consciousness can't ever reach outside itself.
Can you please elaborate?

All Nisargadatta's quotes point to the single entity - conciousness in
us, which is our only focal point and true concern. But how does it
relate all such conciousness around me? In me and in you? How can we
positively infer from this that there's only one such conciousness? Why
can't there be numerous such conciousness? Probably for me it's only
one, but for each of you around me there can be one too.

My questions are :
1. Can reasoning contradict direct experience?
2. And how can it be positively said that there's only one?

        Because e-mail can be altered electronically,
        the integrity of this communication cannot be guaranteed.



More information about the Advaita-l mailing list